Shakshuka with Italian Sausage — Shakshuka (aka Eggs in Hell) is an easy dish made of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. It’s so simple to make and can be prepped for breakfast, brunch, or dinner!
My Favorite Egg Recipe for Dinner
If you’re looking for a great Italian sausage recipe, this is the one. This recipe is like shakshuka, otherwise known as eggs in hell or eggs in purgatory, but it’s a little different.
Those recipes normally don’t add sausage but I did. Why not? The sausage adds another layer of flavor in addition to the crushed tomatoes, onions, garlic, and smoked paprika. I used hot and we liked the subtle kick, but use mild if you prefer.
The Italian sausage makes the dish heartier and it’s great comfort food. It’s an easy recipe that’s ready in 30 minutes and perfect for lazy breakfasts, holiday brunches, or breakfast-for-dinner.
My family never says no to eggs, and this homemade shakshuka was a winner. The flavor of the tomatoes and sauce reminded us of lasagna soup, which was a wintertime favorite.
What is Shakshuka?
Essentially, shakshuka is a dish made up of eggs that have been poached in a tomato sauce. The tomato sauce is usually flavored with cumin, paprika, garlic, and other spices, and it can be fairly spicy (depending on where you get it).
This is a great dish to make if you want to feed multiple people for as little effort as possible. Guests can spoon out their own portion of shakshuka and then dunk chunks of bread in any leftover sauce.
What’s in Shakshuka?
For this eggs in hell recipe, you’ll need the following:
- Olive oil
- Ground Italian sausage
- Yellow onion
- Smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic
- Crushed tomatoes
- Eggs
- Fresh parsley
How to Make Shakshuka
If you’ve never been taught how to cook Italian sausage, don’t panic, it’s just like browning regular ground beef or turkey. Add the olive oil, Italian sausage, spices, and onion to a large skillet and cook until the sausage is cooked through and the onions are golden brown.
Add the garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant, then stir in the crushed tomatoes. Crack the eggs into the skillet and continue cooking them until they’re as done as you’d like. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
Can I Omit the Sausage?
Technically yes, but the Italian sausage is what makes this dish in my eyes. I think adding that extra source of protein is especially important if you’re making these eggs for dinner, otherwise I’m not sure this meal would be filling enough.
If you don’t have sausage on hand, I’m sure you could also use another type of ground meat (although the flavor will be different, of course).
Tips for Making Shakshuka
I personally love the rich flavor smoked paprika adds to this dish, but you can substitute regular paprika if you don’t have smoked.
Also, feel free to add more eggs to the skillet if needed. Just make sure not to over crowd the pan — you want everyone to get plenty of that tomato sauce!
Lastly, this dish doesn’t reheat well (in general, egg dishes don’t reheat well for me), so enjoy it right away. If you want to round this out to a complete meal, you can serve it with some crusty bread, a fruit salad, or a simple side salad.
More Italian Sausage Recipes:
- Easy Eggs, Sausage, and Hash Browns Skillet — Hearty comfort food that’s worth getting out of bed for! Great for brunch or as breakfast-for-dinner! Ready in 30 minutes and packed with big flavors!
- Loaded Southwestern Scramble – Don’t settle for plain scrambled eggs when you can have these!! Peppers, onions, corn, and more for flavor and texture! Easy, ready in 10 minutes, and healthy!
- Easy One-Skillet Sausage and Peppers with Rice — Juicy sausage, crisp peppers, onions, and rice all cook together in one skillet! Makes cleanup a breeze! Packed with flavor and ready in 30 minutes!
- 30-Minute Italian Sausage, Vegetable, and Rice Soup – EASY, hearty soup that’s full of flavor from the sausage, rice, and vegetables!! Comfort food the whole family will LOVE and it’s healthier from the vegetables!
- Slow Cooker Sausage Stuffing — The stuffing is buttery soft with a bit of texture from onions and celery. It’s packed with flavor from fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley. Juicy sausage adds wonderful richness!
Pin This Recipe
Enjoy AverieCooks.com Without Ads! 🆕
Go Ad Free
Shakshuka with Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage or 1 pound Italian sausage links with casings removed, I used hot, but use mild if preferred
- 1 small sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, diced small
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, regular paprika may be substituted
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
- 3 or 4 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
- one 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with juice
- 4 large eggs, or a couple more if desired
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped (regular or Italian flat-leaf)
Instructions
- To a large skillet, add the olive oil, sausage, onions, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and cook for about 8 minutes over medium-high heat, or until sausage is cooked through and onions are lightly golden browned. Stir intermittently and break up the sausage as it cooks.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute or until fragrant; stir intermittently.
- Add the tomatoes and juice, stir to combine, and allow tomatoes to simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened and reduced.
- Evenly crack the eggs around the skillet, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until eggs are as set as desired.
- Evenly sprinkle with parsley, additional salt and pepper if desired, and serve immediately. Eggs are best warm and fresh.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Even More Breakfast for Dinner Ideas:
Loaded Southwestern Scramble — Don’t settle for plain scrambled eggs when you can have these!! Peppers, onions, corn, and more for flavor and texture! Easy, ready in 10 minutes, and healthy!
Easy Spinach and Tomato Frittata – Ready in 10 minutes and healthy! Perfect for any meal!! Great for using up odds-and-ends veggies, too!
Creamy and Crispy Hash Browns Frittata – Creamy eggs with crispy hash browns and made in one skillet!
Asparagus, Peas, and Smoked Gouda Frittata – Even the pickiest eaters will eat green vegetables in this healthy and easy 25 minute recipe!
White Cheddar and Dijon Baked Eggs – Fast and easy comfort food that’s ready in 15 minutes! The Dijon and cheese jazz these eggs right up!
wow, lots of egg recipes!, love to have as many as possible and love the first one especially, never seen it before!
Those pics look so tempting! I will try it once I get home tonight! Isn´t Italian food just absolutely delicious???
I´ve been trying to cook stuff from that country for the last few weeks (mostly pizza and pasta in the weekends!) and Barilla Restaurants, for example, they have great recipes on their website so it´s worth taking a look as well! https://www.barillarestaurants.com/menu
Winner, winner, one HELL of a dinner! I am so glad I ran into this pin! Made it tonight. Minus the parsley (forgot it). SO GOOD! Definitely a keeper!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
oh wow i’ve never do this before. must try it out. Italian foods are always colorful as well. they inspired me so much.
these picture look amazing, Averie. thanks for sharing. :)
I made this for brunch this morning – it is just the comforting smells and tastes that we need as we remember this sad day from our past. Thanks for a fantastic twist on a classic dish. We love the hot Italian sausage and can’t imagine this dish without it.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad it was comforting for you and that you loved the sausage!
I needed a dinner idea, and this dish sounded substantial as I read the ingredients. I did not use Italian sausage as I did not have that on hand. But, I did have chicken sausage with roasted garlic and herb. I added more vegetables as I want my 6 year old to eat more veggies. So I insert wherever I can :)
Mom, “This is delicious!” So there you have it.
Thank you, Averie.
Oh I love it when I can get a ‘delicious’ out of a 6 year old, Amen to that and so glad this was a hit AND that you were able to improv with what you had on hand AND even added more veggies :)
Looks yummy… we are always looking for new ways to eat eggs. Guess what will be on our breaky table very soon!
Averie, I love Shakshuka but have always thought it needed some meat in it! I am going to try it with
Chorizo
Because honestly, EVERYTHING is better with sausage!
I definitely want to eat this, but equally I want to say the name of the dish all day. It looks sooooo gooooood!
Averie, what a unique and interesting name of this dish. Did you create that name or is there actually a recipe that exists with such a name?
Google it, it’s definitely an established dish that goes by this name, as well as other names, like I mentioned in the opening line. The difference with mine is I included sausage.
I’ve never had this dish … but we do loooove your lasagna soup recipe, and if the flavors in this are similar, I’m sure this would be a winner, as well.
Similar flavor profile and if you liked that soup, I bet you’d love this dish. No pasta here but the overall vibe has similarities.
Yes! My Hubby and I love this dish. It’s so pretty too, in my opinion. And I am totally in for the addition of spicy sausage. So good!
I’ve had eggs in hell on my to-make list since I first saw it on….I think it was emeril’s website? Maybe ottolenghi (however you spell that….) I can’t remember. But, I never have because I’m TOO LAZY. Everytime I get up to make it, I end up just mixing everything together and baking it into a frittata. It’s still good, but it’s not the same beautiful presentation.
Your’s is GORGEOUS!
Thank you for the ‘gorgeous’ compliment because this was not easy to shoot – the white white of the eggs and then the deep red of the sauce, my camera settings were going nuts! But yes I think Ottelenghi had it in Jerusalem and then I’ve seen Bon Appetit do a spin on it. It was so good and easy!
I love the title of this recipe! This looks really good though!
Eggs and sausage in a chunky tomato sauce sounds delicious and great for any meal! The one skillet prep is also a huge bonus so I am keeping this in mind for something different in the next couple of weeks.
It’s really an awesome combo and makes for an easy meal. But I am partial to tomatoes with anything at any meal or time :)
Jon was in the mood for sausage so this was the perfect recipe to try tonight. It’s easy and tastes delicious ( I love paprika with eggs)! It’s hearty but not heavy and we’ll enjoy it again! I’m thinking it might be good over spaghetti squash too.
I think it would be great over spaghetti squash and yes totally agree – hearty but not heavy and glad you guys will make it again!